At the center of the issue is the methodology by which Billboard counts paid/subscription versus ad-supported (i.e. free) streams: While Billboard updated its chart rules on Monday to upgrade ad-supported streams — increasing from 1:3 to 1:2.5, i.e. 2.5 ad-supported streams now equal one paid/subscription stream — YouTube has long argued that they should be weighted equally.
Billboard — which frequently updates its charts’ methodology — has stated that it does not consider all streams to be equal, arguing that a person hearing a clip playing in the background of a video is not the same as a person seeking out a song on Spotify. It applies similar weighting to other streaming services.
YouTube will continue to submit its data to Luminate, which is a primary source for Billboard’s chart information. (Billboard, Luminate and Variety are all owned by Penske Media Corporation.)
In the announcement, posted on YouTube Music’s blog, Cohen argues, “We believe every fan matters and every play should count equally, therefore after January 16, YouTube data will no longer be delivered or factored into the U.S. Billboard charts.
